


Freed from His Chains

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Lucius Malfoy, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dumbledore Bashing, Evil Dumbledore, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Hermione Granger Bashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentor Voldemort, Mpreg, Omega Harry Potter, Ron Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-25 13:38:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: All witches and wizards have a second gender that they become aware of on their sixteenth birthday, and just as much of it is affected by their upbringing as their DNA. Harry suspects that Dumbledore has something sinister planned and seeks help in one of the most unlikely of places. Will he find a happiness that he thought was forever lost to him? Or will he only delay the inevitable?





	1. Running from Fate

After the disaster that was the battle in the Ministry, Harry had been hoping for a relatively peaceful summer. That hope had been dashed the instant that the Order told Vernon that Sirius had died and that he needed time to grieve. They had to know how much he hated him by now, surely. The look of glee on Vernon’s face confirmed that it would be a very long summer indeed, but lately that was the last of Harry’s concerns. Dumbledore had ignored him all year, basically accused him of being the reason that Sirius was dead, and when he was talking to him he had been… leering, really. Like he knew something that Harry didn’t and planned to take advantage of it. But Harry knew better than to allow himself to be uninformed after the disaster in first year, so he had a feeling he knew exactly what Dumbledore was thinking as of late. Witches and wizards come into their second gender on their sixteenth birthday, and for all that Harry was a consummate actor to hide the treatment of the Dursley’s from the general public, he knew that Dumbledore was fully aware of what happened in that house. Any possible inclination that he may have been an Alpha had been beaten out of him long, long ago. They didn’t present until they grew older and became their own person for a reason, after all. Often a witch or wizard had to get a new wand with their inheritances, as well. Harry had been researching Omegas for some time, knowing better than to hope to be normal, than to hope to be a Beta. He would be considered property and would have to, at least publicly, obey his Alpha’s every word. He couldn’t have money, land, or lordships of his own. Only his Alpha could do so, and upon claiming him would own everything that was once his. It wasn’t a surprise to him, really. Dumbledore always seemed a bit suspicious and shifty underneath his benevolent mask, but Harry wasn’t willing to become an old man’s play thing for the sake of a war for people who turn against him just as quickly as they worship him. The fickle attentions of the wizarding world are the last thing he needs right now. So, Harry who had gone with only Neville, Luna, Fred, and George to the Department of Mysteries, didn’t tell people about the Death Eaters that were there. Sure, he recognized many of them, but they didn’t have to know that and the friends that were with him trusted his decisions.

The only way Harry could see out of Dumbledore’s grasp was to run to the Death Eaters. Many of them were prone to violence and he really didn’t care to continue his abuse, but there were a few that he considered safer options. He had checked his inheritances on a Hogsmeade weekend by sneaking to Gringotts by using the Floo Network. Harry knew that he had way more Galleons than he could ever spend, tons of priceless artifacts, and would have been the lord of Gryffindor, Peverell, Black, and Potter from his father’s side, and would have been the lord of Hufflepuff, Rosier, and Fawley through his mother’s squib ancestors. The Lestranges are untrustworthy, not to mention that Bellatrix and Rodolphus are already married. The elder Crabbe and Goyle are both brutes and unlikely to truly understand what he’s trying to do or offer. Besides, there are very few people that Voldemort might allow to keep him, even under stringent vows. It would have to be Snape or Malfoy. And considering the fact that Dumbledore seems to believe that Snape is in his corner, though in truth he is too discrete to pin as truly supporting either side, only Lucius Malfoy was safe. Harry could sense that he was an Alpha, and seeing as Narcissa is a Beta and they were an arranged marriage of two people who are really only friends, at least considering how often affairs are heard of, Lucius is his only chance. Harry’s votes alone would give power to the dark and make Lucius the Chief Warlock, and his money would only had to the Malfoy fortune and the war funds for the dark. It may not be the best choice, but it is the only one he really has.

The day before his birthday, Harry manages to retrieve his school supplies after a day full of chores. He was able to pick the lock for the cupboard and Hedwig’s cage, the twins had shown him how to do so, and dispelled all the tracking charms on himself and Hedwig. “Girl, I’m going to need you to do something a bit… dangerous. I need you to take this letter to Lucius and I’m fairly certain that the Dark Lord is staying in Malfoy Manor with him. If your life is in danger, I need you to get out of there after dropping off the letter as quickly as possible. Stay safe, please.” Hedwig hoots and nips his ear before flying off, determined to protect her human from those who would hurt him. She flies the near eighty miles from Surrey to Wiltshire in record time, ruffling her feathers and startling several Death Eaters with her loud entrance into the meeting hall. Alaricus Nott, Theodore Nott’s father, was the first to speak. “Isn’t that Potter’s owl?” Hedwig hooted and nodded, dropping a letter directly in front of Lucius. Voldemort narrows his eyes. “Do you have anything to tell us, Lucius?” “No, my lord. I’ve never written or read a letter from the Potter child… I could read it aloud?” “Indeed. If I hear anything I don’t like you will be crucioed faster than you can beg me not to.” Lucius gulps and begins to read.

“Greetings Lord Malfoy, I know that we have not had many interactions in the past and that the few that we have had have been strained, but I find myself in need of a favor from you. You are one of the few that I believe the Dark Lord would actually consider the advantages for, as I know you are one of his most trusted. To be frank, I’ll start with informing you and anyone else who reads this that the hat had initially intended me to be Slytherin, myself. The only reason I fought it was because I had just been informed of my heritage and it was made very clear to me that, at least with Hagrid and Dumbledore, Slytherin was evil. I am no stranger to hiding my true nature for the sake of survival but the time has come for me to show my hand. Dumbledore has been acting with increasing violence and manipulation regarding my person, and I believe that he suspects as I do that I will wind up inheriting as an Omega. For all that I allow myself to come off as unintelligent to deceive others, I’m certainly no stranger to research and I know that I will be no more than property in that case. It is very clear that Dumbledore intends to claim me so that he can get his hand on not only my funds, heirlooms, and artifacts, but also the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Peverell, Potter, Black, Rosier, and Fawley lordships and the twenty three votes that come with them. The favor I’d like to ask of you is that you would claim me for yourself. I won’t lie and say that the thought doesn’t terrify me, as I’ve not done more than kiss someone before. However, you have the most to gain from this and that may translate to some form of protection for my person. The extra twenty three votes to your two being assigned to the dark would give your side the majority and make you the Chief Warlock, while obviously if Dumbledore got his hands on me it would be the opposite. Any laws your side tried to pass would have to get the assistance of every single neutral and a few light members to overcome the difference of power.

I’m sure you wonder why I would write this to someone I know for a fact to be a Death Eater, don’t you? Well, for one Dumbledore frightens me even more so than the Dark Lord does. The worst he can do is kill me, maybe torture me a bit beforehand, but Dumbledore fully intends to see me alive and watch me suffer; there would never be an end to it and I do not want to put my wellbeing into the hands of the man who, as my magical guardian, has sent me back to abusive muggles year after year and has made sure to have Order members inform them of Sirius’s death despite his existence being the only thing keeping Vernon from beating me to the brink of death on the daily. I cannot trust anyone that Dumbledore may be able to influence, whether they be light or neutral. I’m terrified, and I don’t have a choice anymore. I’m so tired of fighting, so please just… End this. I don’t even care if I’m killed immediately after you claim me; just don’t let Dumbledore win, please. I’m used to pain, really. I don’t expect kindness; just consider my offer. You can find me at Number Four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey, and I grant you and any others needed my formal permission to enter the wards. My only request is that Snape not be allowed to come with you, as I am uncertain of his true loyalties and cannot allow myself to be trapped with Dumbledore, especially after this. Sincerely, Harrison James Potter.”

The silence from all was piercing, and Hedwig lets out a sad hoot before showing them the bloody fingerprints on her talons as proof of her boy’s suffering. When Lucius turned the letter around it was obvious that it had been written with a shaky hand and there were droplets of blood dried all over the parchment. “Fenrir, does the letter seem genuine?” “I can tell that his blood smells of fear, pain, and resignation, my lord. He truly seems to believe that this is his only option for relative safety or a quick end to his suffering. He would accept either, wouldn’t he bird?” Hedwig only nods, knowing full well that her boy was so very tired. “So long as we hold this letter we will be able to breech the blood wards. Potter’s request is easy enough to grant, seeing as Severus is not here tonight. Very well. Lucius, Fenrir, Rodolphus, and Rabastan you will come with me. The five of us shall see if the living situation with the Potter heir is truly so dismal.” Hedwig hoots imperiously and lands on Lucius’s shoulder, making it very clear that for all Harry was willing to die that she wouldn’t allow them to do so without a fight. Voldemort simply laughs and allows it, apparating to number four.

The sun is setting, and the instant that the four Death Eaters, an owl, and the Dark Lord himself showed up they were bombarded by the screaming of a muggle. “You filthy freak! Burning our food just because you haven’t had any for three days!? Food is a privilege for freaks like you! See how you like being burned… and no food for another week!” Even Fenrir had to strain to hear the soft whimpers that Harry allowed to escape as his arm was pressed to the stovetop, but they could all smell the burning flesh. Without truly thinking on it, Voldemort blasts down the door. This allows Harry to wrench his arm off of the stovetop and dart away from his uncle, but not before they see him as he truly is. Far too much magic goes into just keeping him alive during the summers to worry about maintaining a fairly healthy looking glamoured version of himself. Voldemort was positively seething, red eyes narrowed and magic swirling around him. “Where are your things, Potter?” “I had to put them back in the cupboard…” Lucius opened it, and the four Death Eaters paled at the obvious signs of living that were in there. Hearing the silent question, Harry speaks softly. “Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The Cupboard under the Stairs. That was the address of my first Hogwarts letter.” Voldemort sighs, casts a sleeping charm on Harry, levitates him over to Lucius, and Obliviates Vernon before they all disapparate away. The Boy-Who-Lived would have many questions to answer, but first he would be treated and allowed to rest for the first time this summer.


	2. Adjustment Period

When Harry woke the next morning, he almost feared that it had all been a dream. He felt the same pounding headache that he usually did after a severe beating. It wouldn’t have been the first time he hallucinated an imaginary savior to take him away from all of the pain, no matter the fact that he didn’t allow himself such hopes in his waking hours.

“I see that you’re awake now, Harry.”

Emerald green eyes blink in shock, and he looks up to see the face of Mrs. Malfoy. Remembering that he had basically offered himself to her husband, no matter the rumors surrounding them, and that her presence meant he was with them, he flushed.

“Hello… Thank you, for helping me. Despite everything.”

He could tell that she was the healer of the place, and she had definitely kept him alive in a situation where he very well could have died of internal damage.

“No child should find themselves in your situation, Harry. You don’t deserve it, no matter the differences our families have had in the past.”

He laughs nervously before further elaborating. “I meant more along the lines of my basically propositioning your husband to save my own arse.”

Her eyes grow soft, and quite sad. “Harry, I can hardly fault you for trying to survive and get out of that situation. The fact that you blatantly stated that you didn’t even care if you were killed after your first heat said a lot more than you may have meant it to. It’s honestly quite Slytherin of you to refuse your enemy the opportunity of benefiting from your death.”

“Perhaps I should not have argued with the hat based on what I now know to be purposefully planted biases, then Mrs. Malfoy. I may not have ended up this desperate had I embraced my snake side sooner…”

Narcissa ruffles his hair and smiles softly before running a few more medical scans on him. “Call me Narcissa, dear. Or Cissy if you prefer. You’re definitely doing better now, and my lord had only released you from your stasis sleep late last night. It took quite some time to stabilize your vitals. And just so you know not to worry, Lucius and I are good friends but hardly anything more. Our marriage was arranged and it is not uncommon for us to have lovers on the side. In the grand scheme of things, Alphas and Betas just aren’t very compatible.”

“So you aren’t angry..?” He hated that his voice wavered so much. Harry had been hiding for so long that this level of vulnerability was really shaking him.

“No, sweetheart. You’re fine. There’s a few things I feel like I should tell you though. Typically an Omegas first heat would start on their sixteenth birthday, but your stasis wasn’t what wound up delaying it. Your body instinctually knows that you still aren’t strong enough for it, so you have time to adjust and heal, okay? That means that the first time may be a bit unpredictable, but I suspect my lord will be insistent on Lucius marking you beforehand. He will probably be able to tell when you’re about to go into heat, likely before you realize it yourself. I’ll ensure that he tells you the day you start heading in that direction.”

An almost hesitant knock on the door interrupts their conversation. Narcissa looks towards the door with a soft smile on her face. “That’s probably my lord and Lucius. Harry is awake now, you two. He’s managed to pull through and has recovered enough for lucid conversation, this time.”

Narcissa chuckles at Harry’s flushed face. “We did try to wake you up once before, but your glamours were made of rather strong wish magic and you were too injured to truly answer any questions. We don’t intend to hurt you, just answer them the best that you can. My lord?”

Piercing red eyes evaluate the small form laying on the bed. “You truly were desperate to escape, weren’t you? What is it that made you so certain of Dumbledore’s ill intentions towards you?”

Harry pales in remembrance. “He always got this strange… almost hungry look in his eyes around me. Not just recently, but from the very beginning of my Hogwarts education. I think… that he fully intended for me to wind up an Omega one way or another. He was aware of how I was being treated at home and seemed satisfied with it. Luna Lovegood helped me gain access to a Floo during one of the Hogsmeade trips the year before last and the goblins were appalled at the fact that I was not even aware of having more than my trust vault. When they discovered that I wasn’t simply ignorant and had been purposefully kept in the dark they helped me get my affairs in order and began to limit Dumbledore’s access to my vaults as my magical guardian much more carefully. The only way I could truly see myself getting out of his reach was to firmly bring myself over to your side… Lord Voldemort? Is that an acceptable form of address for you?”

Voldemort chuckles, which in and of itself was quite an eerie thing to witness. “I do not expect you to bow and scrape to me, for all that you are an Omega, Potter. I do wonder what exactly went through your head when you tried to sign yourself over to Lucius, though.”

Harry sighs. “He seemed like the safest choice, for all that he has tried to kill me once or twice. He is not prone to fits of anger and violence and remains rather composed, has the most to personally gain and offer to your side by gaining my votes and vaults no matter the fact that he has plenty of money himself, and seemed the most unlikely to make me suffer overlong should he grow tired of me and decide that I’m more trouble than I am worth. I figured that he would be more likely to simply Avada Kedavra me than beat me to death like Crabbe, Goyle, or perhaps Dolohov would do or Crucio me into insanity as Bellatrix would do in a heartbeat. I felt that he was the most valuable of your members that I could trust with any measure of my wellbeing. He was the most likely to be granted this sort of request and the least likely to kill me on the spot.”

Despite his letter, it was obvious that Voldemort had not expected such an analytical and Slytherin thought process on Harry’s part. “That was very well reasoned of you. I must admit to finding you an asset should I know you cannot harm me or my own, and as an Omega to one of my top vassals you would be compelled to only attack any of us should it be in self-defense. Lucius? I ask that you bite him to leave your mark, so long as your wife agrees?” He raises a hairless eyebrow in Narcissa’s direction.

“Harry is family in that I am a Black, and he has the Black blood in him from Dorea. He was put into an impossible situation, and this will see him out of it. Family sticks together, and Merlin knows he needs someone to show that family can be a good thing. They could be good for each other, and I have no intention of abandoning him should you allow this, my lord.”

Voldemort nods with a smug smirk on his face. “Mark him, Lucius.” His eyes grow harder after he says as much. “If I hear of you mistreating him and betraying that trust you will be answering to me, do you understand? I will _not_ condone abuse, no matter the past between the two of you.”

Harry was not surprised to see the abject horror on Lucius’s face, but he was surprised at what he said next. “Of course not, my lord. I could never… Potter, no Harry.” He shakes his head slightly, as if clearing his mind. “I will protect you, Harry. You have given me a greater gift than you even realize. You will want for nothing; I promise you this.”

The gentleness of Lucius’s hand was something that Harry was unused to, but the soft look on his face was even more alien to him. Sure, Narcissa had been kind to him, but she thought of him as family and she was definitely the type to be loyal to family. When Lucius gently tilted his neck and bit down, Harry was overwhelmed with the feeling of vulnerability and peace all at once.

“Harry… Will you mark me in return? No matter the resignation in your letter, I will not be treating you as property. Our side has been fighting to change the atrocious laws towards Omegas for ages, and I wish to do this with you properly.”

Harry was unable to prevent the tears from building in his eyes. “Why..? Why are you being so nice to me? There has to be a reason for it…”

“I will not lie to you Harry; I do have ulterior motives. Narcissa struggled greatly to conceive and carry Draco and I had always hoped for a larger family, regardless of the fact that Narcissa and I are simply friends. The contractual obligations bind us both, and the side of the light refuse to allow the law through that would allow a mutual divorce either. With your votes we would be able to change things to make life better for many others, and when or if you are ever ready I could have a larger family. You are offering me everything Harry, and so I shall do the same to you. My every instinct is screaming to have a true reciprocal bond with you, and as horrible as your being in this health is it will give us time to grow more comfortable with one another before your first heat. Harry, please do me the honor of marking me in return.”

Slowly, unsteadily, Harry nuzzles up into Lucius and follows his instincts to solidify their bond as a reciprocal and fully consensual one. The security he felt in knowing that he was safe, really and truly for the first time in his life, and that no one could even try to claim that he was forced into this and take him from his safety net was staggering. “Thank you… Thank you so much. All of you.”

“We will leave the two of you to get better acquainted. Narcissa, make sure you cast a monitoring spell on Potter. If his health deteriorates we will need to know.”

She nods and does so, smiling warmly at the two that are now laying on the bed and basking in the security of their new bond. “Take care of each other, you two. I’ll inform Draco and ensure that he knows not to bother you about this, Harry. He seems to take your rivalry far too seriously, especially now that we know that your slight was unintentional.”

Harry and Lucius were left alone, and before long fell asleep against one another in the haze of comfort that a reciprocal bond gives to both members of it for the first twenty four hours. Harry had been truly stunned by Lucius’s offer of a reciprocal bond, as the research he had done into Omegas showed that it was one of the only ways an Alpha could give their Omega a true voice in their relationship. It didn’t put them on equal standing by law, but it showed that they were treasured and viewed as important and equal in their Alpha’s eyes. The fact that he was being promised such kindness from Lucius had shocked him and brought tears to his eyes.

Any doubts that Harry had about Lucius being trustworthy faded away as he curled into his Alpha’s arms.


	3. A New Life

Not even waking up the next morning could drag Harry out of his hazy bliss and comfort. The feeling of truly being safe and cared for, for the first time in his whole life, was overwhelming. The letter that was meant to be a final act of desperation and a huge middle finger to Dumbledore wound up enabling him the chance to truly have a better life, and he would not waste this chance.

“Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?” Lucius’s voice snaps Harry out of his daydreaming, and he nods after blushing.

“Yes, sir. I really did. Thank you for allowing me your comfort.” Lucius’s eyes go slightly dark with both anger and sadness.

“You need not thank me for treating you as my mate, Harry. Also, you may call me Lucius. Sir is hardly appropriate for our relationship, and regardless of what others may think of it I fully intend for them to know that I allow you to be your own person.”

“T-thank you… truly. It may take time to break the habit of being overly thankful of minor things and extremely apologetic for any mistake, but I will do my best Lucius.” Harry snuggles closer into his Alpha’s neck, sighing in contentment.

Lucius slowly cards his hand through Harry’s hair, stroking the even messier than usual ebony locks. He seems almost hesitant to ask him any questions, but they both know that in order to make this work they will need to talk.

“Harry… Is there anything that we will need to avoid doing or saying around you? I know that abuse leaves its marks on the victims, and I want to avoid upsetting you if possible.” Harry sighs, knowing that this conversation was inevitable. Sure, he wanted to put it off for as long as possible, but he also knew that it would be better to simply get it all out into the open before it becomes a problem.

“Yeah, there are a few things, I suppose. I don’t mind the word boy being used objectively, but please don’t call me that. It was my name at the Dursley’s around polite company and when they were in a better mood, but it still upsets me. Freak though… even if it isn’t directly referring to me that word still makes me flinch. That was my name when they were angry and we were at the house. It was almost always followed by a severe beating or long periods of starvation.” Lucius nods and pulls Harry closer to him.

“I’ll make sure to avoid that, then. The others will be informed when possible, and I will make clear to them what upsets you, especially if they continue to say it afterwards.” Lucius sighs heavily. “We should go get breakfast. My lord, Narcissa, and Draco are likely already awake. My lord may ask Severus to attend breakfast this morning, but rest assured that he will bind him in an unbreakable vow to keep your presence here silent. Even if I myself have to suggest it and receive a crucio for it, I fully intend to keep you safe here.” The tenseness that Harry gained once Lucius mentioned just who all would be at breakfast slowly relaxed with each reassurance.

“Thank you… It would be for the best to do it that way, anyways. I may not like it, but if he wound up truly being on Dumbledore’s side, saw me, and quickly got away… It could be disastrous.” Lucius nods and supports Harry as he struggles to stand.

“Sorry… I’m still a bit woozy and weak in the knees, it seems.” Lucius simply chuckles and hands Harry his cane.

“I’ll support your left, and you can use my cane as well to support your balance. I know that we need to get some nutrition potions in you and build up your strength again, Harry. Don’t worry about it.” The pair slowly makes their way to the dining room, and Harry continues to be astounded with the gentleness he is being treated with. He truly had expected to, at least, be talked down to and degraded. _‘That just goes to show what I know. I know enough about Slytherin behaviors that I should have recognized a public mask, but even if I had expected it, I surely didn’t expect Lucius to be so… warm and kind. Given how spoiled Draco is, perhaps I should have.’_

The crowd at the breakfast table was larger than either Lucius or Harry had anticipated. Along with Voldemort, Narcissa, and Draco there was Severus, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Fenrir. Harry could scent that Draco was an Alpha, as were Severus and Voldemort. The latter hardly surprised him, nor did the two former, but Harry did worry about how two men who were infamous for berating and belittling him would react to his second gender. Draco, despite being a Slytherin, was never subtle when it came to Harry.

“You’re an _Omega_ Potter!?” Seeing the sneer on his face, Harry balks slightly. The sheer loathing in that glance…

Narcissa then smacks Draco on the head with a rolled up Daily Prophet. “Enough Draco! I told you to behave maturely with your father’s chosen mate. Regardless of his identity, you should have done so as courtesy demands.” Voldemort and Fenrir both seem amused by this interplay, Rodolphus and Rabastan curious about Harry’s presence, and Bellatrix and Draco both look like they’ve swallowed a lemon. Severus was, perhaps for the first time, truly shocked into silence. His expression sours, however, when he notices the reciprocal mark on Lucius’s neck.

“Really, Lucius? You couldn’t do better than _Potter_?” Harry nearly leaps out of his seat at the answering growl coming from Lucius. He had never heard anyone sound so… _feral_ before.

“I care very little for what you think of my mate, Severus. He is mine and I will protect him, even from you. You will not snarl at and belittle _my_ Harry. Anyone that has a problem with that can look at Narcissa’s medical scans. Merlin knows you certainly didn’t see that he needed help, Severus! And it is your _job_ to look out for your students, regardless of their house!”

While Severus seemed to be obstinately refusing to listen to anything Lucius had to say, Draco had an analytical look on his face. Voldemort casually weaves a complete privacy spell to prevent anyone at the table from speaking of anything they learned in this room on this day to anyone who doesn’t already know of it. “Father… What do you mean by mother’s medical scans? What’s wrong with Potter?”

Lucius glances down at Harry, who nods his consent. “Despite coming into his inheritance, Harry still hasn’t had his first heat.”

“What!? But everyone always says that it happens on their sixteenth birthday, don’t they? Why would it not happen if he’s an Omega? I mean, I can smell that he is.”

“It typically does, but if an Omega is in bad enough health their body will recognize that they aren’t healthy enough to go into heat and chance getting pregnant. Most people don’t know about it because abused Omegas are normally hidden from people who could possibly help them.”

Draco’s already pale skin goes paler. “Abused? No… He couldn’t be…”

Narcissa sighs and shows everyone the extensive list of injuries that Harry had received throughout his life. “He was, Dragon. Our lord had to put him in a healing sleep for a week before he recovered enough to safely come out of it, and even then he’ll be on nutrition potions for months, maybe years. He’s been regularly starved, beaten, and treated as a slave. It’s hardly any wonder that, with him being unaware of how the wizarding world works, he would risk his life to free Dobby. He probably saw himself in our more… eccentric past house elf. After all, they tend to be thin, punish themselves for infractions, and wear old pillowcases much like his own hand-me-down rags…”

At the incredulous looks he was getting from the previously unaware, even from Severus, Harry whimpers and shies away, hiding behind Lucius. He knew that they needed to know about everything that makes sense of why he was here, but he still just… didn’t like it. Harry himself didn’t realize just how many knew about it before today due to his letter, but they were still surprised by the sheer length of his medical history.

Severus’s eyes narrow and he huffs out a sigh. “Was this why you were so desperate to try to get the attention of others, Potter? All your dangerous adventures in Hogwarts were about trying to reveal something?” Lucius snorts before he can stop himself.

“That’s hardly in his character, Severus. You didn’t hear the letter he sent, but if you had then you would realize that it was more along the lines of his being suicidal and thinking his life was genuinely worth less than anyone else’s. He was raised to think he was lesser than literally anyone else, so why wouldn’t he try so hard to save others? After all, you all expected him to be a hero from the beginning, and not being what others expected and wanted of him… That never turned out well. Did you know he was meant to be one of yours? He was going to be a Slytherin, but the expectations of the few he knew in the wizarding world had him begging the hat for Gryffindor so that he could protect himself from those he thought would revile him for being anything but their Golden Boy. And truly, was he wrong?”

No one could say a word to that, and Lucius simply shook his head and helped Harry to his seat. The group ate in a rather awkward silence, contemplating the turn that all of their lives had taken due to one young Omega.


	4. Mending Bridges

The majority of the meal carried on in the same awkward silence it had fallen to, but at least Narcissa made an effort to talk to Harry and ask how he was doing. Of course, this was after she decided to mother him to death and insist upon him taking his nutrient potions right that very instant.

Draco seemed amused at just how red his face got, but Harry wasn’t used to anyone caring, much less showing that they did. Snape wore a constantly contemplative expression throughout the whole dinner, for all that he had gone very pale when Lucius mentioned Harry’s suicidal tendencies and lack of self-worth.

That reaction confused him, as Snape certainly hadn’t cared before now. Even after it was revealed that he was abused he seemed more inclined to berate him, so why his more… self-sacrificial personality traits bothered him, he had no clue.

“Pott… No, Harry. I’m sorry. I’ve been needlessly cruel to you, and your slight by refusing to shake my hand was not something you realized was so serious or important. Mother talked to me about Father’s mate, and for all that I was stunned by exactly _who_ it wound up being, I did not forget what she informed me of… Start over?”

Draco held out his hand in a way that was reminiscent of the first time he did so, but with a lot more genuine feeling and a soft smile on his face. Harry reached out and accepted his hand.

“I’d be glad to start over, Draco. Thank you for forgiving my slight.”

Severus scowls at the scene and sighs. “I am not one for apologies, Mr. Potter. However, I can admit that I was wrong about you. We will simply have to leave it at that.”

Harry chuckles and smiles. “Thank you too, Professor. I know that even that much was painful for you.”

With the tension eased, Harry was much more content and comfortable sitting in the Malfoy dining hall. He was simply glad that he and his friends didn’t inform anyone that they were leaving and that Sirius was not truly at the Department of Mysteries. Catching the tail end of his thoughts, Voldemort realizes something.

“You dropped the prophecy orb on purpose! It wasn’t because you thought destroying it would keep anyone from hearing it, but because you knew that we would both hear the full prophecy that way… You and your friends didn’t escape until the tail end, and you could likely still hear it as you ran, couldn’t you?”

“Indeed, Lord Voldemort. The four I brought with me are unquestionably loyal to me and me alone. We knew that it was a Death Eater trap, but agree that it would be worth the risk of learning information that was deliberately kept from us and scoping out just how plausible it would be for us to join. Fred and George very nearly left school early because of Umbridge, but they refused to leave me behind and took their NEWTs. Neville and I both have our OWLs, which is the bare minimum required to avoid getting your wand snapped if you leave your magical institution of choice, and Luna is testing a year early this summer. We all helped her study and planned around the fact that I would likely become an Omega.”

Voldemort hums contemplatively. “Do you know the second genders of your friends?”

“Yes. Fred and George are both Omegas and are soul twins, or they share halves of the same soul and thus will have the same mate in whoever they choose, Neville is most likely going to be an Alpha, and while Luna is truly too young to tell… She’s at the very least clairvoyant, and quite possibly a Seer. She says that she is destined to be an Omega, and I quite believe her. Those who don’t know us may believe that I have so many Omegas in my group because they are coming to me for safety, but we all look out for one another. Luna and Neville are obviously smitten, and the twins have their eye on someone they believe is firm enough in the other camp to keep them safe.”

Voldemort raises a hairless brow in question. “Oh? And who is it that has caught their eye?”

Harry snorts and waggles his brow at Draco. “My new, sort of son-in-law, obviously. They’ve always had a thing for blondes, specifically this blonde prat.”

Draco puts his right hand on his chest and mock gasps. “Why I never!” He couldn’t manage to maintain his false indignant look for more than a few seconds before he devolved into giggles.

“In all seriousness, son, they aren’t unintelligent for attempting such a move. It’s both something that could end the Weasley-Malfoy feud, at least for any members who decide they wish to join us, and it puts them as far away from Dumbledore as possible.”

Draco nods. “I know; I wasn’t laughing at them. They’ve always been the smarter Weasleys, and I cannot say that I am opposed to the match. How have they managed to avoid getting claimed before now, though?”

Harry interjects at this point. “I created a suppression potion that hides the scent of an Omega, even when they’re in heat. Everyone, even members of their family, believe the twins to be Betas. I’m actually rather good at potions when the entire Slytherin side of the room isn’t throwing random ingredients in my cauldron. While you were always smart enough to ruin my potions _without_ risking an explosion, many of them were not so cautious. I spent most of my class time making sure that we didn’t all get killed because Slytherins universally loathed me. There have been a number of incidences between Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle that would have at least destroyed the class or at worst killed everyone in the room.”

Severus goes pale. “And just what, pray tell, were the potions they very nearly killed us all with?”

“One of the milder near-disasters was when Parkinson threw Alihotsy into the Babbling Beverage. Babbling Beverage and the Alihotsy Draught have many similar ingredients, but combining the two strengthens the hysteria to a degree where someone talks and moves about so frantically that without an immediate antidote of Glumbumble treacle there have been twenty recorded deaths in the last ten or so years. It’s not a common mistake, mostly one made by students who forget which potion they started to make or apprentices, and typically their master is there to fix the mistake, hence the low death toll. The most dangerous is when Goyle decided to toss flobberworm mucus into the Bloodroot Poison, a potion that absolutely must remain thin to prevent it from giving off poisonous fumes. If I hadn’t quickly thrown in as much powdered moonstone to absorb the flobberworm mucus and morning dew to thin out the potion…”

“The fumes would have permeated the room within minutes and killed every breathing thing in the room, yes… Nothing could have saved the potion at that point, but you saved every single person in the class. It seems you are hardly the dunderhead in potions that we had thought.”

Harry shrugs. “I assume that my OWLs will clear up a lot of misconceptions. I couldn’t allow Dumbledore to think that I was intelligent enough to pull something like this off or see through his chosen friends for me; including the fact that said friends were being paid out of my accounts to keep an eye on me, of course. Now that I have an Alpha though…”

Lucius’s eyes widen. “For all that you no longer technically hold your funds or titles, he can no longer use them either. In addition, I would be able to and within my rights to go after him for misuse of your funds, since they are my own now. Not something to do before he realizes that you are mated, and who you are mated to, but something very crucial to remember nonetheless.”

“I suppose we’ll see just how well you did by the week’s end, won’t we Mr. Potter?”

“Yep. Now it’s just a matter of waiting it out.” Harry didn’t find himself too inclined to share the fact that he had tested in all OWLs.


End file.
